Six ways to read the wrong number from a 10-Q.

These are the checks we build into every Tickmark Bench task. The examples come from the free sample, so you can open the filing and check them yourself.

1. The prior-year column

A 10-Q usually shows the same period of the prior year next to the current one. A reader who takes the first number in the row, or the column with the larger figure, can return last year's value with full confidence. A task should name the period end date, and a grader should compare against the fact for that date only.

Tickmark Bench keeps the prior-year column in scope on purpose. The datasheet notes that a prior-year column inside a later filing may be earlier than the filing window.

2. Year-to-date in place of the quarter

A second-quarter 10-Q often reports both the three months and the six months ended on the same date. Both facts share the end date, so the end date alone does not settle which one is meant. The length of the period does. In the sample, each fact carries a duration_quarters field: 1 is one quarter, and 0 is a balance at a point in time.

3. The wrong scale

Statements are often presented in thousands or millions, while the XBRL fact carries the full value. Thunder Power's filed current assets for March 31, 2026 are 13140586 USD in the XBRL facts. An answer that copies a figure from a table in thousands is off by a factor of 1,000. Each numeric question in the sample states the unit and the scale it wants, and the grader requires both to match.

4. A missing segment

Segment and product figures are the same concept as the total, with a dimension attached. In the sample, the Mercer International task asks for the Lumber share of revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. The numerator is revenue with ProductOrService=Lumber, and the denominator is total revenue for the same quarter. The reference is 1228 basis points. Drop the dimension and the share is 10000.

5. A balance date read as a period

Balance sheet items are measured at a date, and income statement items over a period. The Momentus current ratio uses current assets and current liabilities as of June 30, 2026, both balances at that date. The reference is 13.70.

6. A flipped sign

A difference between two companies depends on the order. The sample comparison task asks for Data443 Risk Mitigation's gross margin minus Apptech Payments' gross margin, and says that a positive value means Data443 was higher. The reference is -3929 basis points, so Data443 was lower. An answer of 3929 fails.

Amended filings

A company can file an amendment, such as a 10-K/A, that replaces figures in the original. Name the filing by its accession number so the reference and the answer point to the same document. Core's source filings include 10-K/A amendments, and every sample task names the accession.

Check your own pipeline

Run the free sample through your extraction or agent pipeline, and compare each answer with the reference in code. Then read how to evaluate a language model on SEC filings and how Core is graded. Core, with 149 verified tasks and grade.py, is on the pricing page.